Malaysian
Defense Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the government was
committed to expanding the country's defense sector to not only provide for the
country's armed forces needs but also to meet the increasing demand for
military equipment in the region.

Hamidi,
after attending a meeting of the Malaysia Industry Council for Defense,
Enforcement and Security, said, "This is especially so following the
meeting of Association of Southeast Asian Nations Defense Ministers in Cambodia
last month, which decided to bolster cooperation in the defense industry among
member states."

Hamidi, the
Bernama news agency reported, added that the government had recently approved
the building of an industrial plant, an educational center and defense industry
manufacturing facility in Perak, where the state government had approved the
acquisition of land for the project.